Method and apparatus for reducing harmonics mains-power-supply perturbations of a self-commutated multilevel inventor

• US 5,889,662 A
• Filed: 05/23/1997
• Issued: 03/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Tyll, Heinz, Schettler, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Rajnikant B.
• Application Number:
  US08/862,207
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 363/39, 363/40, 363/71, 363/65, 363/78, 363/98, 323/205, 323/255, 323/340
• US Class Current: 363/40
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1857 wherein such bridge converter is a multilevel converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0095 Hybrid converter topologies, e.g. NPC mixed with flying capacitor, thyristor converter mixed with MMC or charge pump mixed with buck
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/12 Arrangements for reducing harmonics from ac input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/4835 comprising two or more cells, each including a switchable capacitor, the capacitors having a nominal charge voltage which corresponds to a given fraction of the input voltage, and the capacitors being selectively connected in series to determine the instantaneous output voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/49 Combination of the output voltage waveforms of a plurality of converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/20 Active power filtering [APF]

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for reducing harmonics mains-power-supply perturbations of a self-commutated multilevel inverter which is clocked at the fundamental frequency and has capacitive storage devices. On one hand, when a predetermined operating point of the multilevel inverter is left, angular values for turn-on and turn-off instants of individual voltage levels of the multilevel inverter are calculated for a newly determined operating point. On the other hand, a terminal voltage of the multilevel inverter is matched to an altered fundamental amplitude of the inverter output voltage. Consequently, the harmonics mains-power-supply perturbations of a multilevel inverter can be kept to a minimum at any time.

Claims

1. In a method for reducing harmonics mains-power supply perturbations of a self--commutated multilevel inverter installation clocked at a fundamental frequency and having two multilevel inverters with capacitive storage devices, a transformer and a three-phase drainage coil circuit, the improvement which comprises:

operating the multilevel inverter installation at a predetermined operating point;

subsequently, operating the multilevel inverter installation at a newly determined operating point by calculating angular values for turn-on instants of individual voltage levels of the multilevel inverters; and

matching a terminal voltage of the multilevel inverter installation to a change in a fundamental amplitude of the inverter output voltage.

2. The method according to claim 1, which comprises storing predetermined angular values for different operating points of the multilevel inverter installation, calling up the predetermined angular values as a function of a new operating point, and feeding the predetermined angular values as control signals to the multilevel inverters.

3. The method according to claim 1, which comprises storing predetermined matching change values for different operating points of the multilevel inverter installation, calling up the predetermined matching change values as a function of a new operating point, and feeding the predetermined matching change values as an actuating signal to a device for matching the terminal voltage of the multilevel inverter installation to a changed fundamental amplitude of the inverter output voltage.

4. An apparatus for reducing harmonics mains-power supply perturbations of a self-commutated multilevel inverter installation clocked at a fundamental frequency, comprising:

two multilevel inverters with capacitive storage devices;

a three-phase drainage coil circuit connected to said multilevel inverters;

a device linking the multilevel invertor installation to a three-phase mains power supply for matching a terminal voltage of the multilevel inverter installation, said device having a transformer and a tap switch;

a control and regulating device generating control signals for said multilevel invertors, said control and regulating device having actual value inputs for actual current and voltage values of said multilevel inverters and of the three-phase mains power supply and a status signal of said matching device; and

a control line linking said control and regulating device to said tap switch.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control and regulating device has a memory containing predetermined angular values for different operating points.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control and regulating device has a memory containing matching change values for different operating points.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, including a three-winding transformer having said tap switch of said matching device as a component part, secondary windings respectively linked to outputs of said multilevel inverters and a primary winding linked to the three-phase mains power supply.